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_lia_reads_'s Reviews (757)
When I first received this book from BookishFirsts in exchange for an honest review, I thought it was going to be a sappy love story. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl can't date because boy is Korean-American and parents will only let him date another Korean, boy and girl set up a system to secretly date. I love stories like that, but wasn't sure how it would go for over 400 pages. So I was pleasantly surprised when Yoon introduced a difficult conversation about race between Frank, the main character, and Frank's parents very early on in the book. Suddenly the book became something else for me. Yes, the love story was still there, but it was much deeper and more complex than I had ever expected.
After Angie Kim's Miracle Creek earlier this year, which also focused on a family of recent Korean immigrants, it was interesting to read a different perspective. I enjoyed Yoon's interrogation, through the character of Frank, of families who come to another country only to spend time with people from the one they left. I particularly appreciated Frank's coming to terms with his heritage throughout the book.
I enjoyed all of the characters, though some felt better developed than others. Joy and Frank were both enjoyable to read, as was Q and his family. Brit fell a bit short for me and I never truly felt like I understood her motivations (but perhaps that was intentional, looking at her through Frank's perspective). It was refreshing to see such a diverse cast of characters.
I am excited that on Goodreads this is marked as Frankly in Love #1, which hopefully means we will be seeing more of these characters! I think this book will become a YA classic and will inspire a variety of readers for years to come.
After Angie Kim's Miracle Creek earlier this year, which also focused on a family of recent Korean immigrants, it was interesting to read a different perspective. I enjoyed Yoon's interrogation, through the character of Frank, of families who come to another country only to spend time with people from the one they left. I particularly appreciated Frank's coming to terms with his heritage throughout the book.
I enjoyed all of the characters, though some felt better developed than others. Joy and Frank were both enjoyable to read, as was Q and his family. Brit fell a bit short for me and I never truly felt like I understood her motivations (but perhaps that was intentional, looking at her through Frank's perspective). It was refreshing to see such a diverse cast of characters.
I am excited that on Goodreads this is marked as Frankly in Love #1, which hopefully means we will be seeing more of these characters! I think this book will become a YA classic and will inspire a variety of readers for years to come.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This captivating book follows Caleb Gunter, a young boy whose mother has convinced her that he is the Second Coming of Christ. You follow Caleb and his mother as their faith takes more and more extreme turns, and explore the fallout that results, culminating in their joining an evangelical church/cult far from home.
What worked for me: I enjoyed the exploration of evangelical Christianity and its perception by the surrounding community. It was difficult to watch Caleb’s loyalty to his mother even as their world collapsed around them. I appreciated the complexities that Milligan brought into the story, particularly with Caleb’s own reactions to different events and the faith that he has been brought up in. Similarly, I enjoyed the delicate way in which he tried to present both sides of Caleb’s mother’s descent into radical religion.
What didn’t work as well: The last 3rd of the book was jarring. I appreciate what Milligan was trying to do with it, but it did not work for me. Instead, I wish we had spent more time with the religious community instead and perhaps the last portion translated into a shorter epilogue. I also struggled with the lengthy sermons and biblical passages. I felt as though they slowed the story down.
However, Milligan’s writing is incredible and the story gripping. It will raise a lot of questions for readers, regardless of their faith.
This captivating book follows Caleb Gunter, a young boy whose mother has convinced her that he is the Second Coming of Christ. You follow Caleb and his mother as their faith takes more and more extreme turns, and explore the fallout that results, culminating in their joining an evangelical church/cult far from home.
What worked for me: I enjoyed the exploration of evangelical Christianity and its perception by the surrounding community. It was difficult to watch Caleb’s loyalty to his mother even as their world collapsed around them. I appreciated the complexities that Milligan brought into the story, particularly with Caleb’s own reactions to different events and the faith that he has been brought up in. Similarly, I enjoyed the delicate way in which he tried to present both sides of Caleb’s mother’s descent into radical religion.
What didn’t work as well: The last 3rd of the book was jarring. I appreciate what Milligan was trying to do with it, but it did not work for me. Instead, I wish we had spent more time with the religious community instead and perhaps the last portion translated into a shorter epilogue. I also struggled with the lengthy sermons and biblical passages. I felt as though they slowed the story down.
However, Milligan’s writing is incredible and the story gripping. It will raise a lot of questions for readers, regardless of their faith.
“You don’t believe that the sky is falling until a chunk of it falls on you.”
The Testaments is Margaret Atwood’s much-anticipated follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale. And in many ways, it gives the reader what they want. The Handmaids do not play a prominent role in the book, but instead the other women of Gilead: the Aunts, young girls/future Wives, and those that have escaped. Through the three alternating characters, you learn more about what has happened in Gilead 15 years after THT, revealing some of the cracks in the government’s rule. It was interesting to learn more about the training and practice of the Aunts, characters who we see but don’t learn much about in THT. I also enjoyed the different perspectives of the three characters.
That said, I wanted more and I think that’s why this book is a 4 star for me. In particular, I wanted more flashbacks of how Gilead was founded. We get these for a few chapters, and they are admittedly really difficult to read, but also important. Atwood seems to be drawing connections between our own political situation and that of Gilead and I wanted her to do more with that. The chapters taking place in Canada were my least favorite, mostly because I was so confused about what was happening most of the time. I think that was the point, for us to feel the character’s confusion, but it was frustrating as a reader.
Overall though, this is a worthwhile read. It’s a difficult one, with trigger warnings galore, but I don’t think Atwood WANTS us to be comfortable while we read it. The importance of the book is our discomfort with what is happening in a world that is admittedly not too far removed from our own.
TW: Abuse, sexual assault, suicide, violence
The Testaments is Margaret Atwood’s much-anticipated follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale. And in many ways, it gives the reader what they want. The Handmaids do not play a prominent role in the book, but instead the other women of Gilead: the Aunts, young girls/future Wives, and those that have escaped. Through the three alternating characters, you learn more about what has happened in Gilead 15 years after THT, revealing some of the cracks in the government’s rule. It was interesting to learn more about the training and practice of the Aunts, characters who we see but don’t learn much about in THT. I also enjoyed the different perspectives of the three characters.
That said, I wanted more and I think that’s why this book is a 4 star for me. In particular, I wanted more flashbacks of how Gilead was founded. We get these for a few chapters, and they are admittedly really difficult to read, but also important. Atwood seems to be drawing connections between our own political situation and that of Gilead and I wanted her to do more with that. The chapters taking place in Canada were my least favorite, mostly because I was so confused about what was happening most of the time. I think that was the point, for us to feel the character’s confusion, but it was frustrating as a reader.
Overall though, this is a worthwhile read. It’s a difficult one, with trigger warnings galore, but I don’t think Atwood WANTS us to be comfortable while we read it. The importance of the book is our discomfort with what is happening in a world that is admittedly not too far removed from our own.
TW: Abuse, sexual assault, suicide, violence
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